Diamond Education - The Four Cs and Beyond

So you already know we've got the best diamonds at the very best prices, and now you want to know a little more about diamonds themselves. Take a look below for information about the diamonds and if you have any other questions or need any other information, please call us at 248-682-8573 or email us at sales@karagosian.com.

CutJust as nature has a variety in colors and clarities of diamonds, the master-craftsmen who cut diamonds also cut them in a variety of ways. These ways determine the carat weight, brilliance, sparkle and fire of each diamond. The cut of the stone refers to the angles and proportions used. Ideal cut, Hearts & Arrows, and many other names that refer to a perfectly cut diamond are done so that the most light will internally reflect from the cut's many facets. Diamonds can be too deep or too shallow to eliminate imperfect areas or increase diamond carat weight, but these allow some of the light to escape through the bottom or sides resulting in less of the desirable brilliance, fire, and sparkle. We at Karagosian Jewelers carry many Hearts & Arrows and ideal cut diamonds as certified by GIA and EGL.

ColorWhen diamonds are formed in the earth, all have slight differences in color. These colors can be anywhere in the spectrum and are commonly brown or yellow shades. The most rare and desirable stones have no color or are of a pure color, for example, canary yellow and blue diamonds. Most diamonds found in jewelry are near-colorless diamonds and when viewed alone appear to be nearly identical to colorless diamonds. Color is best measured when comparing one diamond to another and is based on the GIA D through Z scale. We carry diamonds that are a variety of colors as well as a variety of various color-grades to match any budget.

GIA's color grading scale.

ClarityAs with color, when the earth creates diamonds most have imperfections called inclusions. These are caused by minerals or fractures when they are formed and most can be viewed through 10x magnification. In some extremely rare cases, diamonds are considered "Flawless", but many diamonds do not have inclusions visible to the naked eye. GIA has classifications for inclusions in diamonds that are ranked from I (eye-visible) to F (Flawless). Our diamonds have a wide variety to match value with the importance of beauty and we hand-pick these stones for a specific clarity that does not interfere with the brilliance, fire, and sparkle of the stone.

Examples of Diamond imperfections as if graded by GIA.

Carat WeightCarat weight is a diamond's specific weight as measured on a scale. In the world of diamonds, one "point" is 1/100 of a carat and are usually used when talking about stones or amounts that are under 1 carat of total weight. As mentioned before, diamonds can be cut to preserve carat weight but will lose brilliance with a stone of similar weight that is cut more properly. The larger a single diamond is, the more rare it becomes in nature and thus has a greater cost. It's in this rarity that large diamonds become very desirable at a quality cut, color, and clarity. Our carat weights in our stones vary greatly and have been as high as 8 carat!

The sizes above are measured to ideal cuts at their carat weights.

ShapeThe shape of the diamond affects its beauty, fire and sparkle, and fit into particular settings. The most common cut is Round, also referred to as Brilliant, and all others are referred to as fancy cuts. Brilliant cut diamonds contain 56-58 facets and maximize the volume of light that is reflected from inside and produce the greatest brilliance, thus the name Brilliant. Princess Cuts are currently the most popular fancy cut diamond and are square or slightly rectangular in shape. These stones are faceted like a Brilliant diamond to maximize the fire and sparkle while still retaining its unique shape, leading to its vast popularity. Other square or rectangular cuts for diamonds are Asscher cut (octagon-like), Emerald cut (rectangular with truncated corners), Baguette (rectangular accenting stone), Radiant cut (octagon-like with Brilliant-like facets), and Cushion cut (rounded edges Brilliant-like facets). Other fancy cut diamonds are Oval, Pear shape, Trillion (triangular), Marquise (long oval with pointed ends), and Heart shape. Each of these unique cuts have their own place in the beautiful world of diamonds and Karagosian Jewelers has access to all shapes in the full spectrum of qualities.

Importance of a CertificationThere are many certifications of diamonds around the world and they include paperwork on the diamond's 4 Cs and more. Many different companies offer these certifications such as Gemological Institute of America (GIA), European Gemological Laboratory, EGL, and International Gemological Institute (IGI) to name a few. The strictest of these is GIA, which is world-renown for its near-perfect analysis of all diamonds. GIA has set the standards worldwide for diamond-grading and many of our jewelers are certified in diamonds and colored stones at Karagosian Jewelers through GIA. Meanwhile, EGL, IGI, and others are not as strict with their grading and can be inaccurate.

If you have any questions or would like any more details about diamonds, please call us at 248-682-8573 or email us at sales@karagosian.com or call 248-682-8573.